Described by T.S. Eliot as “one of the greatest short stories ever written,” The Dead is a beautifully crafted novella by Irish novelist and literary critic, James Joyce.

It’s Christmastime in Dublin. The snow is falling. And a thirty-year strong annual Christmas party is underway. Gabriel Conroy, nephew to the hosts, frets over his impending after-dinner speech, while Gretta, his wife, wanders the affair thinking of her childhood home. The lavish festivities proceed in full swing, Gabriel’s long-awaited speech ends in a rousing rendition of “For They Are Jolly Gay Fellow,” and as the party winds to a close, the guests spill out into the winter night…all except for Gretta.

At the top of the stairs she stands chillingly still, seemingly mesmerized by the sounds of a soft song being sung in another room. And while the Conroys eventually leave, Gretta’s mind remains with the music—haunted by a long-lost memory that will shake her husband to his core.

James Joyce’s The Dead is a critically acclaimed novella that explores how much of living we owe to lives of the dead and how much the ghosts of our past truly shape us.

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